“Increased patrols do not protect anyone … they are actively harmful to poor and oppressed people who are routinely harassed, brutalized, and surveilled by the police in Boston and across the country.”
SPECIAL FEATURE: THE QUIET ONE
40 years ago this month, Fred Clay was arrested for a crime he didn’t commit. After 38 years behind bars, he’s telling his story and writing another chapter.
SPECIAL FEATURE: CRIPPLED EPISTEMOLOGY
Boston researchers have spent years helping government agencies plan and simulate operations to troll potential terrorists. Despite controversial practices and lackluster results, the covert operations continue.
CAUGHT ON CAM-SHARE: BPD SEEKS ACCESS TO PRIVATE SECURITY CAMERAS, EXPERIMENTS WITH NEW SURVEILLANCE NETWORK
For now, the BPD wants to help officers more quickly locate and access footage. However, if the program expands beyond its small introduction—about 13 locations, according to BPD records—it could develop into a centralized surveillance network.
THAT ‘FREE SPEECH’ THING
Photo by Kori Feener Mayor Walsh and various police agencies were no friends of civil liberties at Boston’s monster protests against the ultra right Despite the “mission accomplished” happy talk in most of the news media, Saturday’s 40,000-strong Boston protests against extremism—and the tiny ultra-right rally that sparked them— were only wins […]
GALLERY + INTERVIEW: MAJOR GROUP ART SHOW TAKES AIM AT POLICE VIOLENCE
It can be challenging to make art of any kind that asks people to engage with hard and heavy and ugly issues, but if you look for it there are artists everywhere taking it on.
STATE OF THE POLICE STATE: FROM THE BPD TO THE ACA, IT’S A JAILER’S WORLD—WE JUST SQUIRM IN IT
“The government should be ashamed of themselves for allowing this to go on. We need to get real, we need to tell the truth.”
BLACK AND BLUE: THE DUELING WAYS OF VIEWING COP BEHAVIOR IN BOSTON
In the blue view, Boston is the bright exemption when it comes to rampant bad behavior on the force, and police here typically respect the civil rights of residents.
GUEST MEDIA FARM: HOW NOT TO REPORT ON POLICE BRUTALITY
When cases of police brutality appear on video, the local media tend to shut off their collective critical thinking skills and even side with the police. The coverage of the now-infamous video of off-duty Boston Police Department officer Edward Barrett attacking a pedestrian who hurt his feelings is a prime example of why you […]
BROKEN RECORDS: THE SUN DON’T SHINE IN MASSACHUSETTS
In the Commonwealth, even paying for public records doesn’t guarantee you’ll get them
